


Next Time, Take The Stairs

by doorwaytoparadise



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Because crowded elevators suck, Gen, Slight claustrophobia, That is conquered (mostly) through annoyance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-17
Updated: 2012-10-17
Packaged: 2017-11-16 11:50:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/539113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doorwaytoparadise/pseuds/doorwaytoparadise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the Riot. The prompt was phobias, with claustrophobia as my team's sub-prompt. </p>
<p>This is Martin trapped in an elevator. With really annoying tourists.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Next Time, Take The Stairs

Martin felt a twitch beginning to develop in his right eye. Of all the bloody elevators in the whole bloody hotel, he had to get stuck in the one filled to the brim with confused and loud Germans. And the absolute worst elevator music he had ever had the misfortune to hear.

His fingers were rapidly tapping his thigh, and his jaw was clenched so tightly, it was probably going to be sore later. He felt vague annoyance at the noise the rest of the lift was making, but it was quickly becoming overshadowed by the first traces of panic. His breath tightened, and Martin found the act of inhaling becoming increasingly difficult. He started to sweat, and his hands began to tremble. Desperate to stave off a panic attack, Martin searched his mind frantically for the annoyance, and latched on. He focused, willing to try anything to feel less like the walls were about to swallow him. 

Right, get annoyed. Why was he here in the first place? Because the damn tourists couldn't seem to figure out which floor they wanted. I mean, really? Did they really think pushing all the buttons, peeking their head out and looking around, then ducking back in and going down one more floor was the solution? And now he was stuck with them, in a stupid little lift, which he probably shouldn't have acknowledged, because now he was panicking again. He could only be thankful the German group was preoccupied, or he would be mortified. Having a panic attack was bad enough, but he was in his uniform, and a pilot having a panic attack did not look good at all. Only repeating safety procedures, thinking up answers to the last word game he and Douglas had played, and getting the song Arthur was humming earlier stuck in his head, kept him from full-blown panic. Oh, he hated being crowded in such a tight area.

=

Twenty minutes later, Douglas and Arthur stood on the ground floor, waiting in front of the lift doors. They had been alerted that Martin was trapped inside, and had come to see that he was alright, as both were aware of his tendency to panic. So here they stood, listening as the lift finally settled. The doors pinged open, and without warning, what could only be described as a flood of chattering tourists came stampeding out, before vanishing to god knows where out the lobby doors. Douglas had watched their progress with a vague amusement, while Arthur looked on wide-eyed. Both turned back to the still-open doors, just in time to see their esteemed captain come stomping out. His face was flushed, his eye was twitching, he had a scowl on his face, and he was trembling. Douglas blinked at his appearance, idly wondering what he was grumbling about under his breath, before deciding he was better off not knowing. 

“Have a nice ride in the lift, captain?”

Martin just snarled, turning a glare in his direction.

“I. Am .100%. Done.”

He promptly stalked away.   
The lift doors were still open, and the terrible music, sounding much like a death march, continued to pour from inside.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is actually something a friend of mine witnessed. And by that, I mean a ginger pilot stalking out of an elevator that had been stuck, full of Germans.


End file.
